Container Architecture as a Tool for City Sustainability

The recycling of abandoned containers from the export/import business becomes an important issue of city regeneration in the context of sustainable development. Here we explore the design syntax for a place configured by shipping containers. Employing the 3T concept, i.e. topos, typos and tectonics, initiated by Frampton, we construct a framework of spatial practice for the reuse of containers in Taiwan. Our study shows that 1. Integrating the container architecture with the existing content is an efficient approach to a sustainable redevelopment; 2. the diversity in functions provided by a container architecture is an excellent tool to enriching public life; and 3. remodeling container space with local material can serve as a catalyst to the development of creative culture and urban economics.